Windscreen wiper device

ABSTRACT

The windscreen wiper device includes a wiper element and a carrier element. The windscreen wiper device also includes a connecting device which has a base and a joint part. The joint part has a top wall that extends in a lateral direction between a pair of side walls. The joint part also includes a button configuration for lockingly attaching the connecting device with at least two different types of oscillating wiper arms. The button configuration includes a first button and a second button. The button configuration also includes a pin that is spaced below the top wall and that extends in the lateral direction between the side walls. The first button is attached with the pin on one longitudinal side of the pin, and the second button is attached with the pin on an opposite longitudinal side of the pin.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This U.S. patent application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 62/581,419 filed Nov. 3, 2017 entitled“Windscreen Wiper Device,” the entire disclosure of the applicationbeing considered part of the disclosure of this application and herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is related generally to windscreen wiper devicesand, more particularly, to a connector device for a windscreen wiperdevice.

2. Related Art

Vehicles are assembled with a permanent oscillating arm, which isdesigned to last for the life of the vehicle, and a windscreen wiperdevice that is designed to be detached from the oscillating arm andreplaced when worn. Since the oscillating arm is permanent, when acustomer needs to replace their windshield wiper device with anaftermarket device, they must select one that is designed to accommodatetheir oscillating arm. Thus, aftermarket windscreen wiper devices mustsupply windscreen wiper devices that are capable of attachment withthese various different types of oscillating arms. Thus, there is acontinuing desire for windscreen wiper device connectors that aredesigned to accommodate, in a reliable and secure manner, multipledifferent types of oscillating arms. It is further a desire that suchconnectors be both easy and intuitive for a customer to attach with anddetach from the oscillating arm.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES

One aspect of the present invention is related to a windscreen wiperdevice which includes a wiper element that is made out of an elastomericmaterial. The windscreen wiper device includes at least one carrierelement which operably supports the wiper element. The windscreen wiperdevice also includes a connecting device which has a base and a jointpart. The base is fixedly attached with the at least one carrierelement, and the joint part is attached with the base such that thejoint part can pivot about a pivot axis. The joint part has a top wallthat extends in a lateral direction between a pair of side walls. Thejoint part also includes a button configuration for lockingly attachingthe connecting device with at least two different types of oscillatingwiper arms. The button configuration includes a first button and asecond button. The button configuration also includes a pin that isspaced below the top wall and that extends in the lateral directionbetween the side walls. The first button is attached with the pin on onelongitudinal side of the pin, and the second button is attached with thepin on an opposite longitudinal side of the pin.

The joint part advantageously is able to attach with and detach from atleast two different types of bayonet-style oscillating arms in a verysimple and intuitive manner. That is, connecting either type ofbayonet-style oscillating arm with the joint part involves simplysliding the oscillating arm onto the joint part until either the firstbutton or the second button snaps into a respective opening. Detachmentinvolves simply pressing the respective button downwardly and slidingthe oscillating arm off of the joint part. The joint part may also bemade as a monolithic piece of injection molded plastic, which offerssubstantial cost savings as compared to other known joint parts whichrequire multiple pieces to attach with different styles of oscillatingwiper arms.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the first buttonis disposed on a first lever which is connected with the pin and thesecond button is disposed on a second lever which is also connected withthe pin.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, each of thefirst and second levers has a pair of linear portions which areconnected with one another at an obtuse angle.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, when thebutton configuration is in a resting condition, only the first buttonprojects above the top wall of the joint part.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, when the buttonconfiguration is in the resting condition, a top surface of the secondbutton is generally flush with the top wall of the joint part.

According to yet a further aspect of the present invention, when thebutton configuration is in a stressed condition, only the second buttonprojects above the top wall of the joint part.

According to still a further aspect of the present invention, when thebutton configuration is in the stressed condition, a top surface of thefirst button is generally flush with the top wall of the joint part.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the first andsecond buttons are spaced apart from one another in a longitudinaldirection.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the top wallof the joint part has a window and the first and second buttons arelocated in the window.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the jointpart includes a main body portion and a front nose portion that ispositioned at one longitudinal end of the main body portion.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the front noseportion has a tongue which overlies the top wall.

According to yet a further aspect of the present invention, the frontnose portion has a greater width and a greater height than the main bodyportion.

According to still a further aspect of the present invention, the jointpart includes spring fingers that protrude laterally outwardly from theside walls.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the base includesa pair of outwardly extending and co-axially aligned protrusions, andthe side walls of the joint part include a pair of circular openingswhich receive the protrusions to connect the joint part with the base.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the first andsecond buttons are located in a longitudinal direction closer to onelongitudinal end of the joint part than to the circular openings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the invention will becomemore readily appreciated when considered in connection with thefollowing description of the presently preferred embodiments, appendedclaims and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a windscreenwiper device including a joint part which is removed therefrom;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the joint part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the joint part of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3 and centered around abutton configuration;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the joint part of FIG. 2 connectedwith a 17 mm bayonet style wiper arm;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 6 and centered aroundthe button configuration;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the joint part of FIG. 2 connectedwith a 19 mm bayonet style wiper arm;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENT

Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate correspondingparts throughout the several views, a windscreen wiper device 20 with animproved connecting device 22 is generally shown in FIG. 1. The improvedconnecting device 22 is capable of attachment with 17 mm and 19 mm sizedbayonet-style oscillating wiper arms 24 a, 24 b (hereinafter referred toas 17 and 19 mm wiper arms and shown in FIGS. 5 and 8 respectively)without any adapters or extra pieces. The fact that the connectingdevice 22 can securely and safely attach with each of these wiper arms24 a, 24 b allows for manufacturing cost savings through economies ofscale and also reduces packaging and stocking costs by reducing thenumber of different products that a windscreen device manufacturer hasto package, offer for sale, and sell.

The windscreen wiper device 20 of the exemplary embodiment has abeam-style construction in that it includes a longitudinally extendingcarrier element (not shown) which is pre-shaped to bias an elastomericwiper blade 26 (also known as a wiper strip or a wiping element) into acurved shape. This allows an entire length of the wiper blade 26 to sealagainst a curved windshield (not shown) of a vehicle as the wiper device20 oscillates back and forth. That is, in the exemplary windscreen wiperdevice 20, the carrier element, rather than a series of yokes,distributes a force from the wiper arm 24 a, 24 b along the length ofthe wiper blade 26. The windscreen wiper device 20 also includes a pairof sub-spoilers 28, which are may be either made as separate pieces fromone another and from the wiper blade 26 or may be made as one monolithicpiece with the wiper blade 26. The sub-spoilers 28 are attached with thecarrier element and impart a downforce on the wiper blade 26 when thevehicle is travelling at speed to improve the seal between the wiperblade 26 and the windshield. The connecting device 22 is attached withthe carrier element and/or the wiper blade 26 at approximately alongitudinal midpoint of the windscreen wiper device 20. A pair of endcaps 30 are engaged with opposite ends of the carrier element forretaining the sub-spoilers 28 on the carrier element between theconnecting device 22 and the end caps 30. It should be appreciated thatthe carrier element could include one or more longitudinal strips thatare received in one or more longitudinally extending grooves of thewiper blade 26. The one or more grooves could either open laterallyoutwardly or can be fully enclosed within the wiper blade 26.

The connecting device 22 is of two pieces including a base 32 and ajoint part 34. The base is fixedly attached with the carrier elementand/or with the wiper blade in a permanent manner. The joint part 34 ispivotably connected with the base 32 by receiving co-axially aligned andcircular-shaped protrusions 36 on the base 32 into circular openings 38in the joint part 34 to allow the joint part 34 to pivot or articulaterelative to the base 32 about a pivot axis when attaching the joint part34 with or detaching the joint part 34 from either of the 17 and 19 mmwiper arms 24 a, 24 b. The base 32 can be fixedly attached with thecarrier element and/or the wiper blade 26 through any suitable meansincluding, for example, ultrasonic welding; heat staking; one or morefasteners; material deformation; etc. The base 32 is preferably made ofa single, monolithic piece of metal or plastic and may be shaped throughany suitable operation.

The joint part 34 of the exemplary embodiment is made as a single,integral piece of injection molded plastic and is configured to directlyattached with both of the 17 mm and 19 mm wiper arms 24 a, 24 b suchthat the windscreen wiper device 20 with this joint part 34 can bepackaged and sold to customers whose cars have either of these wiperarms 24 a, 24 b. FIGS. 5-7 show the joint part 34 in connection with the17 mm wiper arm 24 a, and FIGS. 8-10 show the joint part 34 inconnection with the 19 mm wiper arm 24 b. As shown in these Figures, the17 and 19 mm wiper arms 24 a, 24 b each are generally U-shaped, asviewed in cross-section, and have tops with rectangular apertures 40 a,40 b formed therein. However, these wiper arms 24 a, 24 b have differentfeatures from one another and are not merely the same geometrical shapeconstructed to different scales.

The exemplary embodiment of the joint part 34 includes a main bodyportion 42 that extends in a longitudinal direction between oppositeends and a front nose portion 44 that is joined with one of thelongitudinal ends. The main body portion 42 is generally U-shaped asviewed cross-section with a top wall 46 and a pair of side walls 48. Theside walls 48 extend vertically downwardly from the top wall 46 and arespaced from one another in a lateral direction by an open space whichopens downwardly. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the main body portion 42has a plurality of stiffening ribs 50 that are formed on the innersurfaces of the top wall 46 and the side walls 48 for strengthening themain body portion 42. The circular openings 38 of the joint part 34 arepositioned on the side walls 48 of the main body portion 42 forreceiving the protrusions 36 on the base 32 (shown in FIG. 1) topivotally connect the joint part 34 with the base 32. In thelongitudinal direction, the circular openings 38 are located adjacentthe front nose portion 44.

Each of the side walls 48 of the main body portion 42 also includes apair of spring fingers 52 that are spaced from one another and whichprotrude laterally outwardly from the side walls 48. When the joint part34 is attached with either one of the 17 mm and 19 mm wiper arms 24 a,24 b, the spring fingers 52 resiliently contact inner surfaces of therespective wiper arm 24 a, 24 b to prevent, or at least reduce, rattlingbetween the joint part 34 and the wiper arm 24 a, 24 b. In the exemplaryembodiment, the spring fingers 52 are located longitudinally between thecircular openings 38 and a back longitudinal end of the main bodyportion 42, and on each side wall, one spring finger 52 is positionedcloser to the respective circular opening 38 than to the longitudinalback end and the other spring finger 52 is positioned closer to thelongitudinal back end than to the respective circular opening 38. Eachof the side walls 48 also has a groove 54 which extends from a rear edgeof the main body portion 42 forwardly past one of the spring fingers 52for receiving a laterally extending protrusion (not shown) in the 17 mmwiper arm 24 a. In a vertical direction, the grooves 54 are locatedbetween the spring fingers 52 and a lower edge of the main body portion42.

The front nose portion 44 has a greater width and a greater height thanthe main body portion 42. The front nose portion 44 has a tongue 56which overlies and is spaced above the top wall 46 of the main bodyportion 42 for lockingly engaging a front top edge on each of the 17 and19 mm wiper arms 24 a, 24 b, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8. The front noseportion 44 also has a stop surface 58 which faces and surrounds the mainbody portion 42. As also shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, when the 17 and 19 mmwiper arms 24 a, 24 b are attached with the joint part 34, the frontedge of the respective wiper arm 24 a, 24 b abut the stop surface 58 onthe front nose portion 44. As shown in FIG. 2, the stop surface 58 iscurved such that the circular openings 38 in the side walls 48 overlap,in the longitudinal direction, with parts of the stop surface 58 in thelongitudinal direction.

The front nose portion 44 has a top surface which is planar adjacent thetongue 56 and then ramps downwardly towards a front longitudinal end ofthe joint part 34 such that, as viewed from the side, the front noseportion 44 is generally triangular in shape. The front nose portion 44also has a bottom flange 60 which underlies a part of the main bodyportion 42 of the joint part 34. As shown in FIG. 5, when the 17 mmwiper arm 24 a is attached with the joint part 34, a lower edge of thewiper arm 24 a rests on top of the bottom flange 60. As shown in FIG. 2,the bottom flange 60 extends longitudinally past the circular openings38 in the main body portion 42.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the main body portion 42 of the joint part 34has a see-saw button configuration that is disposed in a window on thetop wall 46. The see-saw button configuration includes first and secondbuttons 62 a, 62 b which are spaced longitudinally from one another onopposite sides of a pivot pin 64. As shown in FIG. 7, the first button62 a is shaped and positioned to lockingly engage with the aperture 40 ain the top of the 17 mm wiper arm 24 a, and as shown in FIG. 10, thesecond button 62 b is shaped and positioned to lockingly engage with theaperture 40 b in the top of the 19 mm wiper arm. The second button 62has a longitudinal length that is less than the length of the aperture40 b and only engages a forward edge of the aperture 40 b. As shown inFIG. 2, in the longitudinal direction, the first and second buttons 62a, 62 b are both entirely located closer to the back longitudinal end ofthe main body portion 42 than to the circular openings 38 of the sidewalls 48.

The first and second buttons 62 a, 62 b are disposed at the ends ofrespective first and second levers 66 a, 66 b. The pivot pin 64 isrecessed below the top wall 46 of the main body portion 42 and extendsbetween the side walls 48. The pivot pin 64 establishes a pivot axisabout which the first and second levers 66 a, 66 b can pivot to engagethe first and second buttons 66 a, 66 b within the apertures 40 a, 40 bof the 17 and 19 mm wiper arms 24 a, 24 b. Each of the levers 66 a, 66 bhas a pair of linear portions that are connected at an obtuse angle, andthe buttons 62 a, 62 b are located on the opposite linear portions fromthe pivot pin 64. As shown in FIG. 4, in a resting condition (i.e., whenthe see-saw button configuration is not being stressed by a force froman oscillating wiper arm 24 a, 24 b or a user), only the first button 62a projects above the top wall 46 of the main body portion 42, and a topsurface of the second button 62 b is generally flush with a top surfaceof the top wall 46 of the main body portion 42.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the joint part 34 is attached with the 17 mmwiper arm 24 a, the pivot pin 64 and levers 66 a, 66 b pivot in aclockwise direction (with respect to the orientation of the joint partin the Figures) until the linear portion of the first lever 66 a withthe first button 62 a extends parallel to the longitudinal direction. Inthis position, the first button 62 a projects above the top wall 46 ofthe main body portion 42 and into the aperture 40 a of the wiper arm 24a, and the second lever 66 b and second button 62 b are recessed belowthe top wall 46 of the main body portion 42. Referring now to FIG. 10,when the joint part 34 is attached with the 19 mm wiper arm 62 b, thelevers 66 a, 66 b pivot in a counter-clockwise direction until thelinear portion of the second lever 66 b with the second button 62 bextends parallel to the longitudinal direction. In this position, thesecond button 62 b projects above the top wall 46 of the main bodyportion 42 and into the aperture 40 b of the wiper arm 24 b, and thefirst lever 66 a and first button 62 a are recessed below the top wall46 of the main body portion 42.

A rearwardly facing surface of the first button 62 a is angled in abackward and rearward direction relative to the longitudinal direction.During attachment of either of the 17 and 19 mm wiper arms 24 a, 24 b, atop front edge of the wiper arm 24 a, 24 b contacts the angled surfaceon the first button 62 a and causes the first lever 66 a to resiliently(i.e., elastically) deflect relative to the pivot pin 64 and the secondlever 66 b such that both of the buttons 62 a, 62 b are recessed belowthe top wall 46 of the main body portion 42. This allows the joint part34 to be slid onto the respective wiper arm 24 a, 24 b. Once theaperture 40 a, 40 b on the wiper arm 24 a, 24 b reaches the associatedbutton 62 a, 62 b, the respective lever 66 a, 66 b resiliently springs,or snaps, upwardly to engage the button 62 a, 62 b within the aperture40 a, 40 b, thereby locking the joint part 34 with the wiper arm 24 a,24 b.

Either of the 17 and 19 mm wiper arms 24 a, 24 b can be detached fromthe joint part 34 by pressing the button 62 a, 62 b in the aperture 40a, 40 b of the respective wiper arm 24 a, 24 b. Pressing the button 62a, 62 b resiliently deflects the respective lever 66 a, 66 b relative tothe pivot pin 64 and relative to the other lever 66 a, 66 b to disengagethe see-saw button configuration from the wiper arm 24 a, 24 b. Thejoint part 34 may then be slid out of the wiper arm 24 a, 24 b.

From a user perspective, the processes of attaching and detaching eitherof the 17 and 19 mm wiper arms 24 a, 24 b are basically equivalent andare very simple. To attach the joint part 34, the user simply slides thejoint part 34 onto his or her wiper arm 24 a, 24 b until he or she hearsone of the buttons 62 a, 62 b snap into the opening 40 a, 40 b of his orher wiper arm 24 a, 24 b. To detach the joint part 34, the user simplypresses the only visible button 62 a, 62 b and slides the joint part 34out of his or her wiper arm 24 a, 24 b.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings and may be practicedotherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of theappended claims. Additionally, it is to be understood that all featuresof all claims and all embodiments can be combined with each other, aslong as they do not contradict each other.

What is claimed is:
 1. A windscreen wiper device, comprising: a wiper element made of an elastomeric material; at least one carrier element operably supporting said wiper element; a connecting device including a base that is fixedly attached with said at least one carrier element and including a joint part that is attached with said base such that said joint part can pivot about a pivot axis; said joint part having a top wall that extends in a lateral direction between a pair of side walls; said joint part including a button configuration for lockingly attaching said connecting device with at least two different types of oscillating wiper arms; said button configuration including a first button and a second button; said button configuration further including a pin that is spaced below said top wall and that extends in said lateral direction between said side walls; and said first button being attached with said pin on one longitudinal side of said pin and said second button being attached with said pin on an opposite longitudinal side of said pin.
 2. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first button is disposed on a first lever which is connected with said pin and wherein said second button is disposed on a second lever which is connected with said pin.
 3. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said first and second levers has a pair of linear portions that are connected with one another at an obtuse angle.
 4. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 2 wherein, when said button configuration is in a resting condition, only said first button projects above said top wall of said joint part.
 5. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 4 wherein, when said button configuration is in the resting condition, a top surface of said second button is generally flush with said top wall of said joint part.
 6. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 5 wherein when said button configuration is in a stressed condition, only said second button projects above said top wall of said joint part.
 7. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 6 wherein when said button configuration is in said stressed condition, a top surface of said first button is generally flush with said top wall of said joint part.
 8. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second buttons are spaced apart from one another in a longitudinal direction.
 9. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said top wall of said joint part has a window and wherein said first and second buttons are located in said window.
 10. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said joint part includes a main body portion and a front nose portion that is positioned at one longitudinal end of said main body portion.
 11. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 10 wherein said front nose portion has a tongue which overlies said top wall.
 12. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 10 wherein said front nose portion has a greater width and a greater height than said main body portion.
 13. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said joint part includes spring fingers that protrude laterally outwardly from said side walls.
 14. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base includes a pair of outwardly extending and co-axially aligned protrusions and wherein said side walls of said joint part include a pair of circular openings which receive said protrusions to connect said joint part with said base.
 15. The windscreen wiper device as set forth in claim 14 wherein said first and second buttons are located in a longitudinal direction closer to one longitudinal end of said joint part than to said circular openings. 